Based upon the manga by Saki Okuse and Sankichi Meguro, Ghost Talker's Daydream is one screwed up little puppy. It takes the allure of sexual content and adds it to a supernatural thriller with a lead character that is a dominatrix with the ability to see and speak to ghosts. The content here is graphically violent with a creepy atmosphere and a borderline low grade hentai (ecchi really) undertone and is definitely intended for mature audiences.

I admit that I am not really familiar with the source material of which this anime is based off of so I can't make comparisons between the two. The fact that the series was wrapped up into four episodes probably speaks to minimal popularity at best. Because the entire anime runs 100 minutes there is precious little time for character or plot development. The way the show is set up is that you are basically dropped into the world with little introduction to the characters and the series ends without a lot of closure. Watching it gave me a feeling that I had joined a show about halfway through it's run, instead of something standalone.

It's quite evident that this release is designed for fans of the manga so those of us that are uninitiated are left in the dark for a little bit. While there are three main characters we are only really given time to get to know the one the show focuses most upon. Misaki isn't your typical lead role in an anime and despite a gratuitous amount of fanservice here, seeing her cleavage is a part of her career.

You see, she's a dominatrix by trade and runs around in leather apparel with high heels and riding crops. When Queen Misaki isn't whipping asses and posing for pornographic photos, she's talking to the dead. It's almost a Sixth Sense kind of scenario with dead roaming the Earth and its up to her to put them to rest. It's hard for Misaki to tell which job she hates more but the kicker is she is really good at both.

On the first case we see her take on she investigates the sightings of ghosts of a woman and a baby girl. When she and her partner Souichiro arrive they come across a young girl named Ai who is about to get raped. The two wind up saving her and it turns out that it's her sisters who are the ghosts that people are seeing. Towards the end of the episode Misaki shares her powers to Ai so she can see her sisters to say goodbye but the only problem is that the powers stick and now Ai can see the dead as well.

The only problem is as we see in the subsequent episodes is that while Ai can see the dead and interact with them, she doesn't have Misaki's abilities to control situations. Misaki has the conviction to allow herself to get possessed by the ghosts and do whatever it takes to get the job done. She also is equipped with a mystical rope she calls Kunui that she uses on occasion and that part at least fits into her dominatrix personality.

Ghost Talker's Daydream concept is interesting but it's nothing that hasn't been done before (well, aside from the dominatrix aspect). The show has a very creepy atmosphere and watching some of the death scenes and possessions are definite creep-out material. Thankfully the show doesn't take itself too seriously and there is quite a lot of humor that makes it's way into the script. Souichiro provides comic relief with his many reactions at the expense of catching a glimpse of panties or seeing Misaki naked. He's essentially the fanservice character of the show that really drags some things down despite the tone of the rest of the series.

As I said the only character that gets any development in these four episodes is Misaki, even then we don't learn all that much about her. This is one of those shows that needed more time to play with it's concepts and unless you're a fan of the original material chances are you may not appreciate what goes on here. As it stands this is a unique 100 minute distraction that is kind of a guilty pleasure and a creepy horror show all at the same time.

Ghost Talker's Daydream is presented with a 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio. There is a minor amount of grain in some scenes and at points there is some noticeable aliasing. Overall though this is a fantastic looking show with a very vibrant transfer but it would have benefited from an anamorphic widescreen presentation. I particularly like the art design of the anime and there are a lot of great designs but at times it appears there were some shortcuts taken during the animation process. In places some animations look incomplete but it's not that prevalent of a problem.

The audio for this show is very good with some great quality and plenty of options at the tips of your fingers. Included on the disc are DTS 5.1 English and Dolby Digital 5.1 English and original Japanese with optional English Subtitles. For each of the soundtracks there is a decent offering of directionality to the audio and at points it is used very intelligently. Hearing ambient noises or ghostly voices come from behind you can send shivers right down your spine.

All that is included on this disc as far as extra content goes is essentially what we've come to expect from barebones anime. There are some Geneon previews and a trailer for Ghost Talker's Daydream but aside from that all we are offered are clean openings for all four episodes. Each of these episodes offers a different type of intro that sets up the episode and as the show runs the credits role. There are also some posters and wallpapers included on the DVD ROM if you feel like putting them on your PC.

Ghost Talker's Daydream is an example of an interesting concept that feels rushed due to the limited amount of playtime the series got. There is little character development and there is an overall sense that you are dropped into the middle of a show already in progress. Even so it's still mildly entertaining with a fair amount of humor and some interesting bits that may warrant a rental. The video and audio quality are decent enough but a distinct lack of notable extras doesn't help the disc out too much. Rent it

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